An inspection of the welterweight division is a glance back at the way boxing was before the millions from Saudi Arabia triggered a run of anticipated and undisputed showdowns.

There are four belts in the glamor 147-pound division belonging to four different fighters, with little indication beyond lip service that any of them will be fighting each other in the near future.

Unbeaten IBF champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis is being forced into a mandatory title rematch with Karen Chukhadzhian on Nov. 9, a foe Ennis already dominated last year by unanimous-decision scores of 120-108 on all three cards.

The homecoming bout in Philadelphia by Ennis, 32-0 (29 KOs), may actually signal his welterweight farewell, with Saudi Arabia’s powerbroker Turki Alalshikh intrigued by making a February junior middleweight bout between Ennis and unbeaten Vergil Ortiz Jnr.

Fighting under Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom banner also means the gifted Ennis is not the first choice of the other champions, with WBC belt-wearer Mario Barrios Jnr and WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis belonging to Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions and new WBO champion Brian Norman Jnr fighting for Bob Arum’s Top Rank.

“This is a weight class where [Alalshikh’s] Riyadh Season is not involved. It’s an opportunity to step in and make the fights – and they’re failing miserably,” ProBox TV’s Paulie Malignaggi said on Thursday’s episode of “Top Stories.”

Barrios is assigned a likely one-sided affair on the Nov. 15 undercard of Mike Tyson-Jake Paul outside Dallas when he meets Arizona’s Abel Ramos 28-6-2, who has lost three of his past five fights.

Stanionis is confronting a mandatory like Ennis, waiting out a Nov. 8 purse bid to fight Uzbekistan’s Shakhram Giyasov 16-0 (9 KOs) while Norman is sidelined by a hand injury and is supposed to be making up his postponed first defense against Derrieck Cuevas afterward.

None of those bouts move the needle. Instead, they reveal how swiftly the division has decreased in significance only a year from boasting Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jnr with respected veterans Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia preceding them.

Barrios acknowledged as much at his workout for reporters this week, promising unifications as a route to re-spark interest in the weight class.

“It’s not just a problem in the division, it’s a problem in our sport,” former 140-pound champion Chris Algieri said. “There’s a lot of weight classes with a lot of champions … these guys should fight each other. For now, welterweight is in disarray and it will be for some time until it gets sorted out.”

San Antonio’s Barrios, 29, is the ideal welterweight to set the agenda, Algieri said, because Barrios has tasted defeat by taking tough fights against Thurman and unbeaten lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

“He’s the old head … he’s been in with quality competition,” Algieri said. “(Fighting) Ramos on the (Paul-Tyson) undercard is not a step in the right direction, but at least Mario Barrios is speaking out about it so these fights can happen.”

Former welterweight champion Malignaggi said Ennis is the most likely to emerge as best in class should he opt to remain at 147.

Algieri agreed, saying, “He’s not too dynamic on the mic, but the way he fights is very exciting. He looks for knockouts, is willing to take shots, has superior speed and athleticism. But (if he remains at welterweight), he;s going to have to get it the old fashioned way. Stanionis is no pushover and Barrios is getting better and better. There’s no stars here, but there are live dogs and lots of exciting matchups can be made. It’s a shame those fights are not happening.” 

Riyadh Season’s interest in Ennis could foil those plans.

“If you’re going to say we don’t need Riyadh Season, this is your chance here,” Malignaggi said. “Nothing’s moving, guys. This is why you need a power move. It’s the same ol’ B.S.”

Malignaggi said he wonders why, except to chalk it up to the nature of the beast – when promoters would rather retain (and protect) their champion instead of losing a belt to a rival promotion’s fighter.

“There’s not a lot of stars (at 147), they’re decent fighters,” Malignaggi said. “It shouldn’t be about protecting your reputation. It’s about building your reputation. People want to see the fights.

“Unless the promoters will work together, we’re just talking fantasy football. Yes, you need a money injection, but there’s lots of pride with the promoters and if they don’t (make the fights), it’s hard to give these fights support. They (promoters) are proving the frustration of fans who don’t watch boxing.

“This is a good weight class. What are you saving them for? There’s no stars here. Make the fights. By not, you’re the walking, talking, breathing example of the problem in boxing.”